sun dial cannonsun dial cannon
Gnomonics - The art of telling
time using the sun's shadow, in use for 22 centuries!
Sundial cannons can be traced back to Europe in the early 1600's. They were referred to as "noon cannon". The art of telling time by the sun's shadow is called Gnomonics. A small black powder charge is prepared and left in the cannon. As the sun hits the magnifying glass, the powder in the touch hole is ignited and "BOOM", at exactly 12:00 Noon, ... give or take several minutes!
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This is a late 1800's combination type sundial cannon. |
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This one was made "Sundials" in New Hampshire. They went out of business around 1980. They produced several of these fine sundials during the 1970's. |
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This very fine specimen was made by Russ Morgan, of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Notice how there is a compartment for tool storage. |
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This Sun Dial cannon was once offered by Cannon-Mania. It was designed after a very early European example.
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